


It's Never Easy to Walk Away, so Don't

by TylerM



Category: Harry Potter - J. K. Rowling
Genre: Emotional Hurt/Comfort, F/M, Family, Family Feels, Fluff, Fluff and Angst, How everyone deals with the aftermath, Hurt/Comfort, I don't understand either just go with it, I had Percy Feels, Percy Weasley is a Dork, Percy Weasley-centric, Weasley Family, after the war, its 2018 I should be over this
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2018-09-10
Updated: 2018-09-10
Packaged: 2019-07-10 15:05:58
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 8,111
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/15951821
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/TylerM/pseuds/TylerM
Summary: - Percy Weasley has to come to the horrible realisation when the war is over; when the fighting is done and dusted and he can now hear that voice in the back of his head, that he royally screwed up.The war is over. Fantastic. What do they do now?A take on the events that happened straight after the battle of Hogwarts, regarding Percy Weasley and where he now fits into the world. Was it really that easy to come back from everything he did, everything he left? Or did it leave wounds that were unable to heal?Weasley Brothers at their best and worst. I'm sorry, Fred is still dead, even in fanfiction.





	It's Never Easy to Walk Away, so Don't

**Author's Note:**

> It's 2018, I know. I shouldn't be writing this. I should be over it. I know. But alas, I'm not.  
> I'm pretty certain nobody still reads HP fanfiction, I'm about 10 years late to the party. But I just finished rereading the series and I had FEELINGS.
> 
> No Percy hate will be tolerated, this is a safe space.

Percy Weasley has to come to the horrible realization when the war is over; when the fighting is done and dusted and he can now hear that voice in the back of his head, that he royally screwed up.  

He’s quite aware of this actually, has been for a while now, it’s a voice he has been ignoring for years now. The one he was able to silence when he saw his father in the ministry walking down the hall and the same voice when he saw Harry Potter on trial for a crime he surely didn’t commit, eyes widening in fear. Now that the fighting is finished, they have to regroup, reassess and readjust to the _now._

The now without Voldemort, the now without a war and death eaters and fear at every turn. The now without Fred.

Percy knows he was given forgiveness in the heat of the moment, a moment they weren’t sure they were all going to survive. Nobody in their right mind would have turned him down, although he was surprised the twins were the first to extend that hand. But now, with it all stopped he doesn’t know what to do. Doesn’t know where his place in the world is, in this family.

After the battle he’s scurried away with the family, hulled off to the burrow. Nobody really saying anything, nobody really looking. He’s not sure where to go, where to sleep that night, he doesn’t know if his room is even still there.

It turns out it is, completely untouched. He stands by the door that night not sure if he should sleep in the bed he abandoned so long ago. The one Molly Weasley never touched in case he came back.

It’s George, who startles him slightly by coming up behind him staring blankly into the room. Percy looks at him, really looks at him and doesn’t see grief or sorrow written in his eyes, but defeat. A defeat and numbness that expands to his whole body. Percy looks across the hall at his brothers’ room and sees two beds, just like always.

Oh.

Percy gulps deeply, while the Weasleys have always been a close family overly affectionate would not be the term he would use, particularly not with himself when it comes to his brothers. Not before he left, and especially not now.

However, Percy sees the dilemma and he thinks he knows how to fix it. He could be meet with outright disgust, but he’s willing to give it a go.

“Come on, lets go to sleep,” Percy says more confidently then he feels placing a hand on Georges back and guiding him inside his own bedroom. A big brother instinct kicking in he wasn’t sure he still had and George complies with the little brother instinct he wasn’t sure would follow his lead.

George looks more relieved then Percy ever thought he would, almost collapsing on the bed and allowing Percy to guide him. The beds a twin, there’s not a lot of room but neither seem to care. Percy can hear little sobs coming from his brother as he curls up on his side facing the wall and as he climbs in next to him.

They don’t say anything, Percy lets George continue to cry and George doesn’t try to say anything. After a while though Percy can hear his breathing evening out into something more content and it’s then Percy knows he’s done the right thing, on so many more levels then one.

It’s a long way, but maybe it’s a start.

-/-/-/-/-/-

Percy thinks he’s been given way more responsibility then he deserves when he’s appointed back into the ministry next to Kingsley to help put things back in order. He knows its not necessary for his own particular talent for politics, although he is useful in knowing the inside of higher up ministry, who can be trusted and what needs to be done and what not. But he knows its more about him being a Weasley that anything else.

Percy is not really trusted by the order, but Weasleys are. By default, Percy sits under there, so in coming back the Order (well it’s not really the order anymore with Voldemort gone) he’s given responsibility and understanding he doesn’t deserve.

Still, he decides to make the best of it. Because this is his chance of redemption, this is his chance to make it up to everyone. Show he can be trusted, be one of the Weasleys that the world looks up to. That people risk their lives for.

Percy understands he has a lot of making up to do, and he intends to do just that. Surprisingly it has come the most natural with George. With the devastating hole in all their hearts that Fred has left George has clung to an unlikely party. It’s not like they weren’t close as boys, the twins used to idolize all their big brothers at one point, although somewhere along the line that did get lost in translation. And although they pranked and teased him endlessly as they grew, Percy always knew they cared about him, as he cared for them.

With the loss the family has suffered George doesn’t have room in his heart for resentment, not towards his brothers anyway. A part of him is hurting so badly he’s retreated into himself, relied on ways he hasn’t since he was little. Percy will take what he can get and help in anyway he can.

The problem is, there’s still so many other people he’s let down and owes an apology, and he honestly doesn’t even know where to start. He’s created so many personal brands of disappointment tailored to the individual he doesn’t know how to come back from that, or where to begin.

The question is answered for him however, a few days later when Bill invites him over for dinner at his cottage. Just him and Fleur. It’s a bit of a pretense, to help him get out of the house and so they can reconnect. Bills like that, swopping into big brother mode easily and taking control of the situation so Percy doesn’t have to.

Percy doesn’t even know where to begin as he sits stiffy on one of their couches across Bill who looks content and cool in his home. The content and cool he has been pulling off for years that Percy has envied.

God how he let down his big brother, the one who has been there for him since day one.

Percy decides the best way about this is like a ripping off a Band-Aid. It won’t be painless, but at least it will be quick.

“Bill I’m so sorry,” Percy starts, wringing his hands together nervously but Bill puts a hand up to silence him.

“Don’t Perc, it’s okay,” Bill says easily.

“No,” Percy looks down at his hands, “It isn’t.”

Bill looks too understanding and kind for Percy’s liking, “You don’t have to apologize. Not to me.”

Percy looks at him helplessly, he doesn’t deserve this kind of forgiveness so easily. He’d taken it from George because the boy was hurting, and he was a coward who couldn’t face the reality that it’s his fault Fred is gone. He doesn’t deserve it from Bill, the eldest and potentially wisest Weasley brother, the one who protected him from nightmares when he was little and bullies in his first year. Bill is fearless, and kind and Percy couldn’t have been weaker.

“I really do,” Percy says.

“No. You don’t, because if anyone should be it’s me,” Bill says and Percy snaps his head up confused, “I should have done more, I shouldn’t have just let you go off without a fight, without even questioning it. We should have known that once things got really bad how trapped you’d be in the ministry, Perc if anyone should be sorry it’s me. I let you down, and I’m sorry.”

Percy is spluttering a little because he isn’t sure how Bill could possibly turn this on himself, Percy was the coward that left, “It wasn’t your job to talk sense to me, I abandoned my family Bill. I was a part of the ministry when Greyback did that to you, I defended Fudge. I’m so sorry, you must hate me,” He splutters.

Bill reaches a hand across grasping Percy’s shoulder firmly, “This,” he points to his face with his other hand, “Is not your fault. Not in the slightest. You’re my little brother, and that’s what you always will be. I can never hate you. And its my job to protect you, all of you. I can’t believe how horribly I failed that.”

It goes utterly tense for a moment and the unspoken words send across them.

“Fred, it wasn’t your fault,” Percy whispers into the room.

It doesn’t look like Bill believes him, but he whispers back anyway, “It wasn’t yours either.”

Tears start welling up in his eyes that he wipes away furiously, he doesn’t want to cry. With that Bill pulls him into a firm hug, one to rival Molly’s and Percy uses all his might not to collapse into his big brother and weep.

He keeps it together, barely as Bill laughs, “You’re not to leave again you here me? Do something stupid like that again and I’ll track you down carrying you home over my shoulder.”

Percy gives him a weak laugh, pulling away, “Sure thing.”

“Now come on,” Bill says standing up and pulling Percy with him, “I’ve got to show you around the cottage and Fleur can’t wait to meet you properly, she’s got a thousand and one questions for you.”

Percy smiles weakly and follows Bill around for a tour of the house. It turns out the cottage is gorgeously quaint, and Fleur is a ball of elegance and energy that for some reason treats him like part of the family without question. When dinner is over and he expresses his gratitude for her to be so welcoming to him she shrugs easily, grasping his face into her hands and kissing his cheek in a move he was very unprepared for, the tips of his ears turning pink, “Bill adores his little brothers, I was so excited to have a big family too. You all mean so much to him, so you are also my family! Now that the war is over we must celebrate and love what we have, it’s more important now then ever,” She says in her thick French accent.

He doesn’t deserve a brother, or a sister in law apparently, like this.

-/-/-/-/-

The next few days pass fairly tensely, although Percy isn’t self-centered enough to believe it’s solely because of his presence. There was a war after all.

He’s back at the burrow, because he hasn’t really been able to face his flat in London yet. Not after everything, it seems so lonely now. So empty, he thought he hated all the noise and chaos the Weasleys created but now he craves it.

Besides, he’s still sleeping with George at night, neither of them have said anything about it and he doesn’t plan to.

At the moment the place is full of the remaining Weasleys and Fleur. Harry and Hermonie are here and Harry brought little Teddy to give Andromeda a bit of a break, which is adored by all. Molly loves children and his little face, so innocent to what has happened has given everyone a bit of a sense of hope. That everything they did for a reason, and that reason is right here.

It stings to see the little boy, Percy didn’t even really know Lupin or Tonks beside when Lupin taught him at school, but it hurts to know the reality of what happened. The causalities that were lost and the effects of that. However, the way Harry looks at him everyone can tell he is in good hands. Teddy Lupin will not grow up without knowing he is loved every second by a bundle of different people, Percy’s sure the Weasley clan will see of that.

Kinsley’s here too and Hagrid’s been invited to dinner. A few other people are bobbing around, it’s much quieter then any other gathering they’ve had before, but its nice to have everyone in the same room without curses flying everywhere. Well, Percy imagines it is. He’s sitting on the outside by the corridor of the garden watching everyone move around. Watching Ginny make faces at Baby Teddy while he sits perched on Arthurs lap. Arthur looks like he wants to cry, but in a good way. Percy thinks they’ve made the mistake of assuming Molly will be the one to never let the baby go, and they haven’t given their Father enough credit in how clucky he can be. Anyone will be lucky to hold Teddy now, he can’t see his father giving him up easily.

Not that anyone would deprive Arthur of something that makes him smile like that, not right now.

The pain still pierces Percys heart at random times, like when he’s watching his family smiling and talking about six years he hasn’t been included on. He feels like an outsider looking in, he doesn’t know how to break the bubble.

“Hey,”

Percy is startled out of his sulking abruptly by Ron sneaking up behind him, he tries to look composed as he nods back. Ron looks indifferently at him, then sadly at the scene before him.

“Don’t know if Harrys gonna get Ted back now, Dad looks like he’s thinking of keeping him,” Ron jokes, having the same thoughts Percy was. Maybe Percy isn’t that out of tune with him.

“I was thinking the same thing,” Percy admits quietly, “Everyone always thinks its Mom,”

Ron chuckles, “Dad could give her a run for her money any day,”

They sit in comfortable silence for a bit.

“You okay?” Ron breaks it.

Percy doesn’t look at him and he doesn’t know what to answer. He hasn’t been alone with Ron, not like this since he left. Heck, even before he did he made an effort to distance himself from his little brother. He hasn’t been paying Ron any mind for years and look where that got him. Ron helped save the world. Ron is a hero.

Percy ignored his little brother when he was hysterically crying claiming Black tried to kill him, accusing him of making it up. Percy is an awful brother.

Percy doesn’t say any of that though, he just shrugs.

Ron seems to nod knowingly. He’s so much different then Percy remembers. He’s so much wiser now, older. Like he’s seen things he shouldn’t have, gone through things no 17-year-old should.

“I’m sorry,” Percy breaks the silence again, and Ron looks up confused, “I’m so sorry Ron. For everything.”

He tries to put as much emotion behind the words as he can and Ron seems to understand. He crosses his arms over himself protectively, looking straight ahead and not at Percy.

“You know,” he starts slowly, like his picking his words carefully, “When I went with Harry and Hermonie, I knew what I was getting into. I prepared so much, knew what we’d be doing was dangerous and messy, I knew it would be awful. But when we were there, I mean it wasn’t worse then I thought it would be, just bad,”

Percy has no idea what Ron has been doing for the last few months, he’d gotten enough from people to know that the three of them had been off trying to fight Voldemort somehow, but out of everyone he assumes he knows the least. He also knows that Ron hasn’t really talked to anyone about it, this seems like Ron is allowing a piece of him to be heard by his brother.

“And then one day I had enough, I was so angry, I left. I shouldn’t have, and the moment I did I wanted to go back. But I couldn’t I didn’t know how. Literally, Hermonie is amazing at protection spells,” Ron laughs a little bitterly and a little impressed, “I kipped out at Bills for a while, and I found my way back eventually. I had to, I needed to. But I wanted to, because Harry and Hermonie, don’t tell em’ but they mean everything. But that’s the thing isn’t it? I did something in the heat of the moment that I couldn’t take back no matter how much I regretted it.”

Ron turns to Percy and he doesn’t know what to say. He had no idea this happened, doesn’t even know how he would address it.

“Ron, what you did was amazing. Just because you left, it doesn’t matter, you found them again,” Percy starts and when he’s saying it he seems to think why Ron told him this story in the first place, “It’s not the same thing though.”

Ron lets out a big sigh, rocking on his heels a little and smirks at Percy, “No, maybe not entirely. And look mate, I can’t say I understand. I don’t not really, but if anyone can relate a little, it’s me.”

Percy raises his eyebrows a bit and smiles at his brother, “When did you get so wise?”

Ron shrugs, the air has lifted and it’s lighter then it was before, “Ah you know, always had it in me I think.”

They look back onto the scene and Hermonie catches the two talking, she looks perplexed at first but smiles. Percy sees the way she looks at Ron, mixture of fondness and something else, then looks back at his brother who has the same look on his face.

“So, Hermonie?” Percy asks, its not teasing, not even really a question. Just a statement.

Ron looks back at Percy, one of the most knowing grins on his face the boy has ever seen and clasps his shoulder roughly. Rons gotten quite big and broad over the last few years.

“Honestly mate, I’m going to marry that girl one day,” Ron says easily.

Percy lets out a startled laugh at how forward his brother is, the once shy and reserved boy who didn’t like people looking his way because he was embarrassed.

With that Ron goes down to the garden, wraps an arm loosely around Hermonie and looks back at Percy, waving him over.

Oh, how things have changed.

-/-/-/-/-/-/-/-/

That night when everyone has gone home Percy sits in the arm chair by the fire, mulling over how everything has happened. He wonders if he really can come back from this. He’d like to, he certainly doesn’t want to leave again, he’s just not sure if he can.

Although they’ve been trying to prove him wrong without even knowing it, he’s still wondering if they’re better off without him. He won’t leave on bad terms again, but maybe he should just get out of their hair. Give them some space and go back to his flat, picking up the pieces of his life. They all seem to fit together so well, and he just doesn’t.

He hears some shuffling around behind him and he wonders who is going to break his silence, his moment of peace. It’s Charlie, which is odd.

Percy looks hesitantly over at Charlie as he smiles at him, taking a seat in the arm chair next to him. He hasn’t really spoken to Charlie since he got back, hell he hasn’t even really spoken to Charlie in years. Not properly since that trip to Egypt.

If Percy thinks letting Bill down was tough it doesn’t compare to how he feels about Charlie. The thing is, he adored Charlie as a kid. Sure, Bill was his oldest brother, but Charlie was the one who he thought was the coolest person ever. He was Quidditch captain, he was head boy, he was a daredevil while being loved by everyone, he worked with _dragons_. Charlie might be a little bit insane because he prefers the company of dragons to actual people, but Percy has always thought he was the coolest person to exist, and up until recently had a major hero worshiping complex with his older brother.

Now, he can barely look him in the eyes. Turns out he proved all his brothers right, he is a bit of a prat.

“Hey squirt,” Charlie grins and Percy can’t help but roll his eyes. Charlie was the only person to call him squirt, he had a slightly different nickname for all his younger siblings. He thinks Charlie always enjoyed the older brother title he had, which was always a bit more teasing and laidback then Bill. Bill was always in charge, always the oldest. Charlie, being the second oldest got the privilege of being a big brother but without the extra responsibility Bill had, he could tease, prod and poke and hand off anything too hard to Bill. Not that Bill was ever a stick in the mud, but Charlie always had the sense of teasing upon him, always that little bit more playful.

If you went to him for help you weren’t sure if you’d get a hug or gentle teasing all the way through. Percy never did well with teasing as a kid so he wonders why he liked Charlie so much in hindsight.

“You look like you’re thinking entirely way too hard. Take it down a notch kid or your heads going to explode,” Charlie teases and Percy ignores him.

Maybe he doesn’t worship his brother as much as he used to.

“What are you thinking about?” Charlie asks.

Percy shrugs, he doesn’t know if he wants to tell Charlie the truth.

“Well, I’ll tell you what I’m thinking about,” Charlie says, “I was thinking about that time when you were 9 and you fell off you’re broom when we were playing Quidditch together, and you scrapped your knee pretty badly there was a lot of blood. But I had just learnt how to fix it with magic, so I told you to calm down and you did eventually, and I fixed it with one spell. I remember you being in complete awe of what I’d done. Then I couldn’t get rid of you all summer because you thought I was the most amazing thing since sliced bread. You told Mom I was better at her then magic, but she just laughed it off thank god. The whole summer you followed me around like a lost puppy. Mom said you cried for hours when I left for Hogwarts.”

Percy looks at his brother a little stunned as the tips of his ears grow slightly pink. Why on earth was Charlie thinking about that and why did he feel the need to bring it up? As an adult, particularly the last couple of years, but even before, he really hated when people recited embarrassing stories of him, he tried to evade it as much as possible. Coming from a family of 7 though that can be particularly hard.

Especially when he embarrassingly hero worshiped some of his brothers.

“Why?” Percy simply asks exasperated.

Charlie just shrugs non-committedly, “Am I not allowed to reminisce about my little brothers?”

Percy wants to shoot something smart back, but then he sees the look on Charlies face and thinks it might be deeper then that. Maybe he feels a bit like Bill, like he failed them somehow.

“Remember that time I cursed that first year because he was bullying you?” Charlie grins almost evilly and Percy rolls his eyes.

“You were a third year you shouldn’t have done that,” Percy says always the diplomat.

Although that kid had been a jerk _and_ he’d been bullying Percy for months before Charlie intervened. Percy was lucky to have Bill and Charlie when he started Hogwarts, he’s sure he would have been the school punching bag otherwise. He was, for a while.

“You should have said something earlier, I only did it because he gave you a black eye!” Charlie defends, almost 10 years later and still a little bitter about it. Bitter that someone would possibly try to hurt his brother in that way, and bitter that Percy wasn’t even the one to tell him it was happening.

“Who gave who a black eye?” George asks quietly as he wonders in taking a seat next to Percy.

George hasn’t been himself, not yet. Percy doesn’t think he’ll ever be the same. But he’s been trying to talk a bit more, and Percy can tell getting comfort from his brothers is helping if only a little. It’s probably the only thing that will.

Percy shoots Charlie a look, because even as an 11-year-old he had made it very clear he didn’t want anyone, brothers or parents to know what happened. Years later he’d like to keep it that way.

Charlie promptly ignores him.

“Some dick gave Percy a black eye in first year, I cursed him,” Charlie explains.

George looks at his brother stunned, because he didn’t know that.

“What?” He turns to Percy, “You didn’t tell us you had any trouble at school? How did it happen?”

“It was fine after that,” Percy says weekly, but Charlie is on a roll for some reason.

“He’d been giving you trouble for a while hadn’t he Perc? That Scott kid. Big kid, Slytherin. He didn’t say anything to me or Bill though, not for ages,” Charlie explains to George who listens carefully, “We could tell something was up though. It wasn’t till that Wood kid, Oliver comes up to me one morning and tells me my little brother has a black eye and refuses to do anything about it. So I pull Percy from the great hall and he’s got this massive purple eye, I couldn’t believe it. I was so mad. But when I asked him who did it, he refused to tell me.”

“It was none of your business,” Percy mutters weakly, this is not one of his greatest moments.

“I only found out who did it because Oliver told me, kid can’t keep a secret to save his life. But told me everything, that Perc was being bullied but didn’t want to tell anyone. So, I told Oliver to go take Percy to Charlie and tell him what happened, while I marched straight up to the Slytherin table and hexed the kid. He spent the next 2 days in the hospital wing and I got a weeks’ worth of detentions, but he never picked on you again.” Charlie says fondly.

“Nobody ever picked on me again, they were too afraid of the older crazy Weasley brothers,” Percy stated. Which was completely true, Bill and Charlie certainly had rep for themselves before they started looking out for younger siblings.

George looks contemplative at Percy, “I didn’t know you and Oliver were close?”

The older snorted, “We weren’t, but we slept in the same dorm and he’s always been nice enough. Bit Quidditch crazy, but nice enough. Besides, when he found out Bill and Charlie were my brothers he was obsessed. He loved Charlie.”

Charlie grinned, “He was my informant for the next few years. Told me if anyone bothered Percy or if he thought something was wrong.”

Percy looked scandalized, “That traitor.”

“It’s not like you were going to tell me was it?” Charlie counteracts and Percy refuses to be sheepish about it. Bill and Charlie were entirely too protective therefore they were on a need to know basis back then. He remembers coughing once and Bill freaking out dragging him to the Infirmary for a Pepper Up potion. They were related to Molly Weasley after all.

George looks a bit concerned, like he wants to track down the kid that had bullied Percy over 10 years ago, “You didn’t have any trouble after that though? Oliver never told us anything,”

He sounds almost hurt and Percy wants to laugh. He doesn’t, but he wants to.

“Nothing ever happened afterwards. It never would have anyway, Bill and Charlie were scary enough. And Oliver never said anything because I asked him not too,” Percy says evenly.

How did they even get onto this conversation in the first place?

“I didn’t even think,” George said quietly, “I’m sorry Perc,”

Percy just looks at him, “What? Don’t be stupid you have nothing to say sorry for,” He pushes George in the arm and George ends up leaning on Percy, his head on the boy’s shoulder and Percy doesn’t move him.

“Are you done now?” Percy turns to Charlie, cocking an eyebrow.

Charlie just looks like he wants to cause trouble though, “Don’t start on me squirt. I’ve got loads of stories that we can tell Georgie here.”

“Yes, tell me,” George grins, pulling Percy down by the waist when he tries to make a quick exit and making himself comfortable on his older brother.

“I think because you’ve been gone for a while Perc it’s only right we remember some, I don’t want to forget them or anything,” Charlie teases and Percy glares at him.

Bill is his favorite he decides.

Before all this happened, Percy would have told him to buzz off and stalked to his room while trying to appear like it didn’t affect him, try not to show how embarrassed he was by their teasing. They were always teasing, although that has always been how they said I love you.

Stalking away wouldn’t have gotten him very far before though, Charlie would probably just tackle him and tickle him senseless like he used to do when his little. When he was in one of these moods that’s usually what he did, and god Percy hated how they used to tackle him and tickle him to tears. Bill and Charlie used to do it to him endlessly, and he hated it every time. He didn’t _always_ hate afterwards though, but he’d never tell a soul. When they would smile at him, pulling him up by his arms and pulling him in for a little hug. Calling him squirt.

He wouldn’t dare tell anyone how important that was to him, but its nice to know they were there. Having his back, weather that be to defend or torture.  

He knows not to try and make another break for it, he’s not entirely sure Charlie wouldn’t try to tickle him now. They’re adults, but a part of Percy doesn’t think that will stop Charlie Weasley. A bigger part of him doesn’t want to find out.

Instead he just sits there with George and lets George and Charlie laugh at old stories of him trying to climb trees and keep up with his big brothers. Because George has this wonderful smile on his face and he’s laughing like he hasn’t in days. So, Percy decides he doesn’t really mind that much.

Besides, he knows it’s Charlie way of saying I love you. He’s way of saying it’s going to be okay, because you’re still that little squirt from years ago.

-/-/-/-/-/-/-

The next few months pass by rather quickly and uneventfully, which Percy is honestly grateful for. He’s moved back to his apartment but comes back to the burrow for dinner on Sunday and Wednesday nights, sometimes more if his mom asks. George comes over to his apartment a lot too, he stays for a drink and they talk well into the night. Sometimes they don’t say anything and George falls asleep on his couch, after the first time that happened he bought a bunch of new pillows and blankets to make sure George was comfortable. He’s not sure George latching on to him after everything that has happened is the wisest move, but he’s too selfish to say anything to anyone.

Besides, Percy tried to bring it up once, in a perfectly subtle way asking him if he would feel more comfortable with Bill or Charlie. But George had knocked it down quickly, a little alcohol in his system to loosen his tongue enough to tell Percy that he’s lost one brother, he won’t lose anymore.

It’s not perfect with his family, not yet at least. There’s still a hole in everyone’s hearts that they don’t know what to do with, and it’s a bit awkward at times. Now that everything has quieted down they can’t blame the aftermath of the war on things, they have to face the reality and truth of the situation. It’s been hard for Percy to stomach, he still feels like he needs to prove himself.

He’s on a break at work and he’d decided to go into Diagon Alley for lunch and sit at a little café, trying their famous banana bread. Diagon Alley has been slowly rebuilding itself, its not like it used to be but it’s not covered in dementors either and people have started reopening their shops. George isn’t back full time at the joke shop yet, but he organized a few covers to take over, Percy is pretty sure Lee Jordan is mostly running things at the moment. George pops in occasionally, a sad look on his face but a determination to not let slip the memory of his brother, to keep everyone laughing.

Percy thinks after his lunch he’ll head down there and see if George is there.

“Percy!”

He’s taken out of his thoughts when he sees a petite red head making her way towards him, hand in hand with the none other then Harry Potter.

“Percy!” She shouts again cheerfully, like he might not have heard her the first time. He waves slightly at them giving her a shy smile.

He’s taken aback when they both sit at his table, facing him expectantly.

“Hey! How are you? Are you just on lunch break? We were just doing some shopping, are you coming to dinner tomorrow night? Moms trying this new recipe and I’m just not sure about it. But you have to pretend to like it, I don’t want to hurt her feelings,” Ginny says in a rush and Percy struggles to keep up.

Ginny is bright and brilliant and fast, Percy can never keep up with her on a good day. Out of all his siblings he was worried about Ginny’s reaction the most. She’s headstrong and stubborn, and Percy was anxious about her forgiveness. He didn’t deserve it, and he wasn’t sure Ginny would accept it. Out of all the Weasleys Ginny is the one you shouldn’t cross.

It’s been a few months now and they haven’t really spoken properly, but they’ve been trying. He can tell the relationship is tense, can tell she wants to keep him at a distance for everything he did, but she’s trying. So Percy just tries his best back, trying not to upset anyone or say anything wrong.

“Um,” Percy says because the Boy Who Lived and Ginny are looking at him expectantly, he’s not sure what’s going on between those two. He thinks they might be dating, but nobody has clarified it and he doesn’t want to ask, “Yes? I can pretend to like it,”

Ginny tilts her head confused for a moment and then just smiles at him, “Good, how much longer do you have? We were going to order some coffees, I’ll get you one!”

“Oh,” Percy says strained, “I’ve got some time, but you really don’t have to,”

Before Percy can tell them he’ll get out of their hair she’s smiling and whisking away to order coffees.

He looks hesitantly over at Harry, wishing he didn’t feel so bloody useless and timid around his own sister.

Harry just smirks, so similar to the ones Bill and Charlie give him that make him feel like he’s not in on the joke, “She can be a bit all over the place sometimes. She’s trying, she doesn’t really know what to do I think. Just go with it. I do,” Harry suggests, and Percy doesn’t need to be told twice.

“Harry I,” Percy begins, there’s so much he wants to say and yet he has no idea where to start. Unfortunately, he can see Ginny out of the corner of his eye and doesn’t really want to say it with her around. Especially if they’re dating.

Harry puts his hand up anyway, a relaxed smile on his face, one that looks so unfamiliar on his features yet so right, “It’s okay, I get it.”

Percy would very much like to argue that no, he really doesn’t. But he doesn’t because Ginny sits down and tells him all about Hogwarts next year. That McGonagall is going to be head mistresses and they’re all going back to finish there last year to graduate.

It’s nice and easier then he thought it would be as they chat for about 10 minutes, Ginny is so much like there mother the way she puts people at ease, making them feel comfortable without them knowing. It’s also nice to see Harry more relaxed then Percy can ever remember him being, even as a first year. He’s still a bit tense, jumps at certain noises and it doesn’t look like he really sleeps that much from the bags under his eyes, the war has taken much more then just physical wounds and Percy has no idea how someone at 17 could handle it. Still, he can see the way Harrys shoulders are relaxed, like he has a massive weight off his shoulders that he now needs to adjust to. Like everyone it will take time.

It isn’t until a little while later when Ginny stops abruptly and snaps her head around to glare at two witches behind them. The witches had been looking at him before, glaring at him in an unfriendly way and whispering to themselves. Percy can’t here what they were saying, but clearly Ginny can.

“What?” She snaps her head around at the two girls and they look at her and shrug.

Harry puts a hand on her knee, “Ginny, leave it,” He’s urging her to calm down but Percy can see the color rising on her face and she looks furious.

Harry is trying to gesture towards Percy and make Ginny understand something, and while she gives him a look that is clearly full of pity she doesn’t seem to be stopped.

“I’m sorry but would you like to repeat that to my face?” Ginny asks rudely which stops the witches in their tracks.

When Harry sends him a sympathetic look it dawns on Percy what’s happening, and his heart sinks a little.

Ah, well it’s not like it’s the first time. People talk and have their opinions, it’s not like he’s the most respected wizard around. He understands that, he knows he deserves the hushed whispers and doubts they say about him, it’s not like he doesn’t think it himself.

“No seriously, what the hell is wrong with you?” Ginny asks again when they don’t respond, “That’s my big brother you’re talking about.”

Percy lets out a deep breath to try and calm himself, it’s okay.

“It’s fine Ginny,” Percy stands and places a hand on her arm but she shrugs it off quickly, too caught up in her emotions.

“No, it’s not. How dare they say that! Percy is a hero, where were you during the battle of Hogwarts?” She asks.

That seems to take the girls a bit off guard because they at least have the decency to look sheepish.

“Ginny,” Percy says again and it’s a bit more pleading that she turns to him, somewhat taken out of her haze, “It’s fine, I’m just going to go back to work. Thank you for the coffee,”

He says it reasonably and professionally, keeping his voice level and walks out of their as fast as he can that doesn’t look like running.

He’s around the corner in no time and he blinks back tears that threaten to fall because he shouldn’t cry over options of people he doesn’t know. People can be careless with feelings, and its not like he actually matters anyway. He deserves the slander they were saying about him, he is a coward who disowned his family who came back at the last second to get a victory. He’s not stupid, he knows what they say.

“Percy!” He hears Ginny calling his name a few feet behind him and for a split second he considers disapparating right there, so he doesn’t have to deal with her. He doesn’t want her delayed, insincere comfort. He doesn’t deserve it and he knows she’s not sure either. It would be easier to just ignore it, he doesn’t want to put her through it.

“I swear Pearcy Ignatius Weasley come back here, don’t make me hex you to next week!” Ginny yells and Pearcy sighs. He wishes she wasn’t so stubborn.

He stops in his tracks, takes a deep breathe to compose himself and turns to her, his best I _know exactly what I’m doing face_ on, “Ginny, really it’s fine-“

Before he can finish his sentence though she’s whacking him where ever she can reach repeatedly, “You stupid git!”

Percy looks at her scandalized and then at Harry for help, who just puts his hands up in defeat staying a good four paces away from the siblings.

“What?” Percy asks shielding his face with his hands, “What on earth Ginny!”

She stops, glaring at him and now that she has his attention she’s not sure what to say, “Percy we didn’t have to leave just because those awful girls were spewing crap! They don’t get to do that, you can’t just take it!”

Percy sighs, “It’s fine Ginny,”

“No it’s not!” She cries, and Percy wants to pull his hair out.

“Ginny please,” He’s become more desperate, “You can’t go around yelling at everyone who says something bad about me,”

“Yes I can!” She says determinedly a look in her eyes that is begging him to try.

“Then you’d be yelling at half the bloody wizarding community! It’s fine Ginny I don’t care what they say,” Percy says and Ginny stops being manic to look at him.

“How often do they say things?” Ginny asks, taking on a quieter and more hurt demeanor. When he doesn’t answer, _she_ looks like she might cry, “Percy. I didn’t realize, I-”

“Ginny it’s fine,” He says wearily, “I’m used to it, I just ignore it and they stop eventually or leave. And besides, it’s no more the I deserve.”

 Ginny’s face becomes contoured and it looks like she wants to say a million and one different things. Percy kind of braces himself for impact, unsure if she’s going to yell or cry next. But is surprised when she flings herself onto him, pulling him into such a tight hug for such a little person.

“Oh Percy,” She says holding on to him tightly. Its second nature for him to hold her just as tightly, using her strength to hold himself up, “You mustn’t believe that!”

He shrugs and he hears her sob, “Ginny, god please don’t cry. I’m sorry,” He says, and she pulls away to whack him slightly in the chest.

“God stop apologizing you big lump,”

He’s a bit confused, but she’s smiling now and he’s grateful for that.

“God Percy,” She says, but she doesn’t know where to start, “You’re my brother. My big brother who I love, nobody gets to say that about you okay? And I’ll fight the whole bloody wizard community if I must. You’re a hero.”

Percy looks down at the pavement not being able to meet her eyes and mumbles a thank you.

It doesn’t seem resolved, nothing really feels like it has come to a conclusion, but he checks his watch and realizes he has to go to work, “I’ve got to go to work, I’m actually really late back now.”

“Okay, you better go,” She says quietly nodding, but not before grabbing his wrist tightly holding him back for a second, “You’ll be at dinner tomorrow night yeah? You won’t try and skip out on it or anything stupid like that?”

Percy mentally curses everything because how did she possibly know that’s what he was thinking?

“I’ll be there,” He says defeated.

“Promise?” She asks.

He sighs, “I promise.”

“Okay,” And she pulls him closer for another quick hug, “I love you.”

“I love you too Gin,” He mumbles quietly and flees. He’s worried if he hangs around any longer he’ll cry.

The next night, at 6pm sharp he turns up to dinner. Greets his mom with a kiss and his dad with a handshake. He hangs around the kitchen talking to his mom, thinking he can skip out on any awkward encounters for a while, trying not to think about Ginny or what her defending him so fiercely means.

He’s in the middle of telling his Mom about this new report when he’s handed something rather unceremoniously that’s small and squishy. It takes him longer then he should admit to realize its baby Teddy, who starts going at him nonsensically making grabby hands towards his red hair. It takes him a second too long to realize what the baby wants before he has a handful of it and Percy has to try and remove himself from the grip.

“Ah Ginny, Harry! How are you darlings?” Molly says planting a kiss on Harrys check and pulling Ginny in for a hug.

“Great mom thanks!” Ginny says turning to Percy, “Andromeda wanted a bit of a break and Teddy kept telling Harry how much he wanted to see his Uncle Percy! You don’t mind do you Perc?” She asks innocently rubbing his back warmly, an evil glint in her eyes. Percy wants to reply that Teddy is barely a year old and he’s fairly certain he hasn’t been asking for Percy whatsoever, and even if he could talk he wouldn’t, but instead he just nods dumbly. He’s not sure where this is going, but he figures no one can yell at him while he holds the baby.

Turns out, that’s exactly the point of Teddy being dumped on him. Because using the baby seems to be a pretty unfair tactic to use, although he does admire his sister’s stealth.

Because when he’s holding the baby he can’t seem to get away from Ginny or Harry who have made it their mission to cling themselves to his side all night, asking him questions about and work and anything they can think of. They turn to compliment him at any point in the night, even for stupid things and tell stories he didn’t know he was a part of and pretty much anything else Ginny can think of to get a reaction off him. Its sneaky as anything and Percy is equal parts impressed as he is mortified.

He’s sure Ron and George aren’t in on it, because Ginny is much more cleaver then they ever gave her credit for, but they seem to clue on easily to what they’re doing and join in, patting him on the back accordingly and congratulating him on that new report Kingsley was telling them about. When holding Teddy he can’t go and hide for a bit when the conversation gets too much like he usually does, he’s forced to just sit their and be apart of everything. He hadn’t realized until he couldn’t, how much he was self-sabotaging to make sure he was always on the outside at some point, like a self-punishment he’d made for himself without realizing.

He guesses Ginny did.

He also can’t seem to hand the baby off to anyone to try and make his escape either, because they all find a reason not to hold him and then when Harry eventually does try and take pity on him, after Percy gave him a very desperate look, Teddy grabs on to his neck and refuses to go.

Even the babies in on it.

It’s not the worst dinner around, but by the end of the night Percy is emotionally drained. Teddy is falling asleep on his lap and he’s staring at the baby instead of joining in on the conversation. Ginny nudges his shoulder carefully and he looks up at her.

“You okay?” She asks gently.

He sighs, because no, he’s not okay. Not really, not in all the ways that truly matter.

But, he thinks he will be. Thinks he can move forward from this and create something special, something worthy to tell his kids and be proud of. The next part of their lives is happening and he doesn’t want to go in it regretting a future that hasn’t happened yet.

**Author's Note:**

> I just finished rereading the series and I had Percy feels. I don't even know why, I just did. I'm not sure this syncs up completely, but Percy is an amazing character who was never explored properly. It's years too late, but if anyone enjoyed this story I'm very grateful for you're time :)


End file.
